Wizards' Tales
by FairiesInOurHearts
Summary: Fairy Tail in Potterverse - one shots that can be read individually or as a whole./ "Blood talk" was the dubbed name of a history lesson talking about blood status of wizards and witches. It was one of the most hated topics of all students, save for a few who liked to brag about the "purity" of their blood.
1. The Sorting

**A/N: To be fair, this was bound to happen sooner or later.**

 **I know there are probably a lot of FT in Potterverse stories around, but I just couldn't help myself, and had to write my own take on this. This won't be a one shot, but then again, it won't be a regular multi-chapter story either. I'll be posting stories which are all in the same universe (duh), but I might skip years, or, for example, write for the 1st then 5th then go back to 3rd year, etc... I'll try to post stories chronologically, but it all depends on my inspiration and what I decided to write about.**

 **Anyway, the first story is set in the primary group's (that would be Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Gajeel and Juvia) first year. The secondary group (where Erza belongs) is in third year. I have about 40 characters sorted into houses and years, so some might not be mentioned at all, but if you're interested, you can always ask me where they are. :)**

 **One last thing, the Slytherin house is barely mentioned in this chapter but I assure you I did not forsake it. ;)**

 **Now, enough blabbering, and on with the story!**

* * *

The Hogwarts Great Hall was filled with students who were energetically chatting with their friends, recounting the stories of their summer holidays. The Prefects and the Heads were bragging about their new statuses, earning congratulations and good-hearted mocks from their fellow students. The Headmaster Makarov was happily watching over his "children", making sure that each and every one looked healthy and happy. Soon, the chattering died down a bit as everyone was expecting the most important happening of the first day of school.

The Vice Headmistress, Ms. Porlysica, entered the Great Hall with an air of dignity as always. Behind her, small, shivering first years walked shyly, though some of them already looked like they would own the school.

"Everybody sit down!", the Headmaster ordered, and the students obliged. "Thank you. Welcome, to another year here at Hogwarts. I hope you all enjoyed your summer break. As you know, we will be starting this year like all the others – with the Sorting ceremony. I ask you to welcome your new housemates warmly after their names have been read and they have been sorted into one of the following houses:-"

"Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin.", chorused the older students, who already learnt the Headmaster's welcoming speech by heart. The first years started shifting awkwardly. Makarov laughed.

"That's right, that's right. Now, before we start this ceremony, I'd like to say-"

"That the Dark Forest is forbidden to all of the students and that the teachers would like to ask us not to cause too much trouble, yeah, yeah, we know.", one of the seventh years yelled, and the students giggled and chuckled. "Headmaster, no offense, but do we ever actually listen to you?", he added.

Makarov sighed and shook his head, though a small smirk could be seen on his face.

"No, I'm afraid you don't.", he answered, and after the laughter died down, he gave up on any speech he had prepared and simply said, "Let the Sorting begin!", and after the Hat sang its song, the Sorting started.

One by one, the small children climbed up the chair and the Sorting Hat yelled out their houses after having a look inside their heads. A pink haired boy and a dark haired boy continued their arguing from the train, and were now staring at each other heatedly.

"I'm gonna be sorted into Gryffindor, you'll see!", the pink haired boy said, and the dark haired boy huffed.

"As if. You're too big of a coward to be sorted there, you can't even handle riding the train. Anyway, I don't wanna be sorted into the same house as _you_."

"Well then, it's a good thing you're not getting anywhere _near_ the Gryffindor table!", the boy yelled, but after the two got several reprimanding looks, they quieted down, though they were still glaring at each other.

Soon enough, the list came to the letter "D", and one of the boys was called out.

"Dragneel, Natsu.", Porlysica yelled, and Natsu stuck out his tongue at the boy he was arguing with and ran over to the chair. He sat, brimming with confidence, and, not even five seconds later, the Hat yelled out "Gryffindor!". Natsu looked extremely pleased with himself as he walked over to the table at the far right, where the students were clapping. A red headed girl tapped him on the back, though she used too much force and the poor boy almost tumbled over.

A few names later, the dark haired boy was called out as well, and after the Hat thought for some thirty seconds, "Fullbuster, Gray" was sorted into Gryffindor. Natsu made a displeased sound at his "arc-nessemis" being sorted into the same house as he, but found pleasure in teasing the boy about how the Hat sorted him much faster.

"Shut up.", Gray said, although he was a bit bummed out. The other choice the Hat was considering made him a tad disappointed, but he decided to keep quiet.

When "Heartfilia, Lucy" was sorted into Gryffindor after three and a half minutes of waiting, she seemed very relieved that she could finally sit at a table.

"He considered putting me into Ravenclaw.", the girl answered to one of the older students when asked why the Hat deliberated that much. Lucy's friend, whom she met at the train, was sorted into Ravenclaw, and Lucy seemed a bit sad, but nevertheless sent Levy a wide smile and thumbs up when the smaller girl looked her way.

"The fact that we're in different houses doesn't mean we can't be friends."

The girl that was sorted before Levy, though, caused quite a bit of gossiping. The Sorting Hat deliberated exactly six minutes and forty-eight seconds before sorting her into Ravenclaw, making Juvia Lockser an official hatstall. Juvia looked extremely relieved when the Hat finally made its decision – she was getting redder by the second and all the attention she was getting didn't help at all. Even after she sat at the Ravenclaw table, the murmurs about her didn't subdue, so Ms. Porlysica had to intervene.

"If I hear another sound from you, I'll make you clean the halls with a toothbrush for a week!" Suffice to say, the murmurs immediately disappeared.

Minutes passed, and the Hat kept on yelling, "Hufflepuff! Gryffindor! Hufflepuff! Slytherin!", before the Sorting was completed. As the meals were served, Lisanna Strauss was joking with her siblings at the Hufflepuff table, and Juvia kept on sneaking sad glances at her friend, Gajeel Redfox, who had been sorted into Gryffindor. The older students welcomed their new housemates the way they had promised to their Headmaster, and the dinner passed in a pleasant chatter among the students.

…

When the time came for them to go to their common rooms, the first years followed their prefects, very excited. All, but one girl.

"Gajeel-kun…"

The boy with long and messy raven hair sighed.

"What is it, Juvia?"

The blue haired girl looked up with eyes brimming with tears.

"Juvia… Juvia doesn't want to get separated from Gajeel-kun! Juvia wants to go with Gajeel-kun!", she started crying, and drove attention to herself once again. When the whispers surrounded her again, Gajeel took a protective stance and growled at the crowd, prompting some of the older students to laugh and snort at them, but some got the message and left the two alone. Juvia kept on sniffling, and Gajeel awkwardly patted her head, the way he used to comfort her back in the orphanage.

Natsu, Lucy and Gray were just walking towards them, led by the third year student, Erza Scarlet, when they saw the two. Recognizing one as their housemate, Natsu approached them.

"Why's she cryin'?", he asked, genuinely interested. Gajeel wanted to tell him it was none of his business, but when Juvia noticed this, she took a hold of one of his sleeves, returning his attention to her, and shook her head. Gajeel sighed.

"'S nothing. She's just scared."

Lucy looked at the girl hiding behind Gajeel, then smiled at her. Juvia was confused.

"Hello.", Lucy said, as she reached out to shake Juvia's hand. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia. You are Juvia Lockser, if I remember correctly." Juvia nodded her head, slowly, and shook Lucy's hand tentatively. "It's scary, isn't it? Being separated from your friends. A nice girl I met in the train was sorted into Ravenclaw, so we aren't in the same house as I hoped we would be. I was very sad. Do you think you could find her? I'm sure she'd love to become your friend, too.", she said with confidence, and Gajeel eyed her strangely. Juvia was completely stunned, but found it in her to nod weakly.

"T-Thank you.", she said very quietly, and Lucy answered with a _"You're welcome."_ She then turned towards Gajeel.

"You're in our house, aren't you? Come on, come with us. Erza is showing us the way.", Lucy pointed at the scarlet haired girl, who smiled politely. Gray was getting impatient next to her, so Gajeel turned around towards Juvia.

"Are you gonna be okay?"

Juvia nodded.

"If anything happens, find me."

Juvia smiled at him.

"My friend's name is Levy McGarden.", Lucy said. "Say hi to her from me!"

"Juvia will.", she answered, then quickly ran towards the group of Ravenclaws that just passed them.

"I hope she'll manage.", Erza said as she looked at the running girl. "Come on, let's go.", she told the four fist years, and they headed towards the Gryffindor's tower.

"I can't believe I'm stuck in the same house as you!", Natsu commented as he sent a nasty look to Gray. Lucy sighed, making a mental note to stay away from the noisy boy in the future, as Gray scowled.

" _I_ can't believe I'm stuck in the same house as _you_.", he said, and the two were about to start a brawl when they heard Erza clearing her throat and suddenly, a chill ran down their spines. Tentatively, they turned to look at Erza, who was looking at them with a scary glint in her eyes.

"I should warn you", she said, with a scarily steady voice, "that I have little patience for troublemakers."

The boys nodded their heads and shut up right away, as Lucy and Gajeel decided not to ever stand on the older girl's nerves. They made their way to the common room, and after saying the password to the painting of the Fat Lady (fairy's tail), they entered the room that would be their home in the next few years.

* * *

A/N: If you have any questions (like why were certain characters sorted where they were sorted), don't be shy and ask!


	2. The Blood Talk

**A/N: I actually wrote this story first, but I've edited it several times so I'm only posting it now. :) Here the main group is in their third year, and we find out a bit more about them. :D**

* * *

The Gryffindor common room was unusually quiet for this time of the day. Students were either still in their classes, or enjoying the nice weather outside. The only one inside was the ever responsible girls' prefect, Erza Scarlet. She had been working on a Potions homework (Ms. Porlysica was known to get quite _cranky_ if her students didn't finish their homework) when three somber figures entered through the hole behind the portrait of the fat singing lady. Lucy, Natsu and Gray threw their bags on the ground and unceremoniously plopped on the chairs.

"What happened?", asked Erza with a raised eyebrow. This behavior was very strange for the trio – they were a part of the nosiest and rowdiest group of students in Hogwarts, after all, and they were always especially joyful when they'd return from their last class of the day, so something had to be wrong.

"Blood talk.", answered the three third years simultaneously, their faces turning even darker.

Erza frowned – "Blood talk" was the dubbed name of a history lesson talking about blood status of wizards and witches. It was one of the most hated topics of all students, save for a few who liked to brag about the "purity" of their blood. She remembered the time when she had to listen to the lesson two years ago. It was an unpleasant experience for many young wizards, her included.

"I honestly don't understand why do we even have to talk about it.", said Lucy. "Listening to all that talk of wars started by pureblood supremacists makes me nauseous. Honestly, how can people be so narrow-minded?"

"Although I do agree that it is a very… _troubling_ lesson, it _is_ a part of our history, so we have to learn it.", said Erza, but her voice was full of disapproval. She knew that headmaster Makarov would gladly remove the lesson from the school curriculum, but the Ministry would never allow such a thing.

"I'd have no problems with it,", Gray cut in, "if we were only studying about it and everyone minded their own bloody business. But of course, there are some douches who just have to, well, act like total jerks.", he finished, clenching his fist. Lucy nodded.

"Some idiots made a comment about Levy.", Natsu said. "You know, about her being a muggle born. We all got pissed, but Lisanna jumped first and hexed the bastard nicely. The teacher didn't notice anything, 'f course. I don't think he even knows we exist.", he said, smiling when he remembered how their Hufflepuff classmate made snot and slime leak out of the unfortunate guy's nose, mouth and ears.

Lucy and Gray laughed, and Erza smirked as well.

"You know, that guy was lucky Gajeel wasn't there – I don't even want to _think_ about what he would have done to him.", Lucy said. "Apparently, he is in the hospital wing. Juvia says he ate iron, the moron."

Everyone laughed when they remembered about their housemate's unusual love for metal. They chatted a bit about the oddities of their friends, and were joined by Happy, Natsu's cat familiar, who jumped onto Lucy's lap and started purring. Eventually, though, they returned to the topic of blood status, and the atmosphere became dark again.

"I think it's stupid, you know.", Gray said while playing with a gobstone in his hand. "Blood status has no importance whatsoever. My old man was a pureblood but he gave no second thought when he married my muggle born mother."

"I agree. I am a pureblood myself, but I've never felt any different than the rest.", Lucy added, scratching Happy behind his ears. "My mom raised me to be open-minded, and she always said that I should never feel privileged just because I am a "pureblood".", she said while making quotation marks with her hands. "Dad was a bit more… _close-minded_ when it came to stuff like that, but I think he's learned to be different by now."

"I don't even _know_ my blood status!", Natsu exclaimed loudly, waving with his arms. "I mean, sure, Igneel basically _is_ my dad, but he's not my _real_ dad, y'know? I got no idea what my parents were."

"Headmaster says you're pureblood.", Erza said. She put her Potions book aside, as she had finished her homework, and now she actively joined in on the conversation.

"He _says_ so.", Natsu huffed. "But whenever I ask him where d'he get the proof, he shuts up. He's just blabbering nonsense.", Natsu waved off. "'Sides, even if I _am_ a pureblood, I could care less."

" _Couldn't_ care less.", Lucy corrected him, but Natsu just said _"Yeah, yeah."_

Erza stared at a single dot for a while, thinking. Natsu was raised by a great sorcerer, Igneel, but as he's said, he was basically an orphan, much like her. She didn't know what she was, either, but the Headmaster and the deputy Headmistress Porlysica thought she was a muggle born – which would be of no surprise, seeing as she was raised in a muggle orphanage. However, that brought a question to how was _he_ different when they were raised in the same place…

"… and Lisanna said she didn't care that she was called a "traitor of her blood", if anyone else said something bad about Levy or others she'd punch them in the face and… Erza, are you there?", Lucy asked when she noticed how Erza had gotten lost in her thoughts. Erza broke out of her musings and nodded, making Lucy eye her weirdly, but the blonde didn't say a word.

"Yes, yes, Mira reacted in a similar way back when we were third years, when some girl started acting like a snob. They certainly are siblings."

The three others snorted and nodded along, with Natsu adding that he regretted not seeing Elfman beat the heck out of a pureblood guy saying bad stuff about others last year.

"Cana says it was marvelous to watch.", Gray joked when Natsu finished retelling the story.

"I'm sorry you had to listen to it – but think positively. You are done with that, and you won't have to learn about blood status from now on.", Erza said, trying to cheer the others up. Natsu started growling weirdly, and he suddenly jumped out of his chair, and grabbed Lucy's hand.

"We're going outside, Lucy! You too, Happy! I don't wanna think about this anymore!"

"Wai- Natsu, wait a min- Oh, forget it!", Lucy gave up as she was dragged by Natsu while Happy was ridding on his head. Erza and Gray bemusedly watched as the trio disappeared behind the portrait, off to make some trouble, no question about it. Comfortable silence fell over the two as Gray played around with wizard chess' figures and Erza opened her Herbology book, until Gajeel came in, walking heavily and holding his stomach. Gray barely stopped himself from laughing.

"Hey, what happened there?", he mocked, and Gajeel sent him a death glare.

"Shut up, Stripper. I already know that Sprinkler told you everything. Damn woman, can't keep her mouth shut.", he said while frowning, slowly making his way to the boys' dormitories. Before her left, though, he turned around and looked at Gray.

"I just saw 'er. She looked like a wet mouse – I mean, she often looks like a wet mouse, but she looked especially gloomy now. Did you do anything or…?"

Gray groaned.

"Why does the reason that Juvia is in a bad mood always has to be something related to me?", he complained, but Gajeel offered him no answer, simply waiting for Gray to answer _his_ question. Gray rolled his eyes and gave up. "Blood talk.", he said simply. Gajeel understood right away.

"That thing, ey?", he said wistfully. "Good thing I wasn't there, huh.", he said, but Gray didn't respond. Gajeel waved the two off as he continued to climb up the stairs.

When he finally disappeared somewhere in the halls of the guys' dormitories, Gray sighed and turned to Erza.

"It's not that she was sad because of her, y'know.", he said, and Erza raised her eyebrow at him, putting her book aside. "Juvia, I mean. Yeah, she was kinda bummed out 'cause she grew up in an orphanage, so she didn't know who her parents _were_ , let alone what kind of blood did they have, but she said the women who worked there were pretty sure she was half blood, 'cause, it's a _wizard_ orphanage, you know.", Erza nodded, urging Gray to continue.

He looked around, making sure that no one was in sight, then leaned towards Erza and started whispering.

"It's because of Gajeel. They grew up in the same orphanage, so she knows quite a bit about him." He stopped. "…That rumor about him, did you hear it?"

Erza scrunched her brows, then remembered something.

"The one that says that his father was a pureblood, but his mother a-"

"A muggle, yes, that one.", Gray nodded. "It seems that's true.", he said, and Erza seemed a bit surprised, but that quickly disappeared. "Gajeel doesn't like to talk about it, so she was really happy he didn't come to class. But she knows the rumors will start circulating again, so she's worried about him.", Gray finished, leaning back into his chair. A few moments passed, before Erza started talking as well.

"It makes sense. I'm sure Gajeel would feel awful if his life was gossiped about like that. Unfortunately", Erza sighed, "the blood talk often starts many rumors about students' origins. And many of us don't like talking about it."

Gray looked at her, then back at the wizard chess table.

"Was it like that when you studied about this, too?"

Erza closed her eyes, remembering the events from two years ago.

"We had a similar situation. One girl started mocking me, because I am a muggle born."

Gray made no comment, but it was only then that he remembered Erza came from a muggle orphanage, which meant that she was most probably a muggle born. Headmaster Makarov once confirmed that that was probably true. However, Erza was one of the best witches in her year – she was feared by many – so oftentimes this information would slip from others' minds.

"Mira jumped into my defense, even though we were rivals at that time.", Erza chuckled. "Eventually, the incident was settled without the use of violence, but the gossips about me wouldn't stop for a long time.", she said. Then, she frowned.

"Mine wasn't the worst case, though."

Gray didn't dare speak a word, aware that what she was about to tell was a touchy subject, at least for her. Somehow, he had an inclining to whom she was going to talk about, but let Erza speak herself.

"You know that I wasn't the only one who came from that orphanage, right?", she said, and Gray nodded. His suspicions confirmed.

"Jellal.", he said, simply, and Erza smiled sadly, while saying yes.

Jellal was Erza's childhood friend. They grew up together, but, as they were sorted into different houses (she was a Gryffindor, he was a _Slytherin_ ), they drifted apart. Still, Erza cared deeply for Jellal, as he did for her, and there was always a special bond between them, one that went beyond that of mere childish friendship.

"At first, they thought he was a muggle born, too. To be honest, that's what the both of us thought as well. But, then, someone made a remark about the mark on his face. They said it seemed familiar. And then they said it looks awfully like the mark of an old, prestigious pureblood family."

Gray was stunned. He always thought that "face tattoo" of Jellal's was weird, but he never thought it was actually something as meaningful as that. He looked at Erza, who was looking at him with a wistful smile.

"I had the same expression when I heard that. Jellal, though, was far more surprised than either of us could imagine." Erza looked out of the window, where the sun was still high on the sky. "Of course, this information sent the whole class into an uproar – Jellal, a boy who came from a muggle orphanage, was actually a pureblood? The students couldn't believe this, but soon enough, several of them found the books which contained such a mark, proving that Jellal indeed was, a pureblood."

"He felt awful. When he was sorted into Slytherin, he was already quite disturbed, but finding out that he was a pureblood destroyed him. Rumors started arising about how he actually knew all of this and was only pretending, how he was keeping many more secrets, how he was… Connected to _You-Know-Who_.", Erza said the last part in a whisper, and Gray barely heard her. This bit of information surprised him the most, and he couldn't deny he was flabbergasted.

"Connected to… to _that_ guy?! I mean that, that is _crazy_!", he whisper-yelled, careful that no one but Erza could hear him. "I know I don't know Jellal that well, but there's _no way_ …! I mean, yeah, he's in Slytherin, but that doesn't automatically make him a bad guy-"

"That's what I said, too.", Erza cut in. "That's what I kept telling him, but he refused to listen. I didn't know what to do. I was… scared.", Erza admitted. Seeing her friend, someone so dear to her, so important, starting to avoid everyone, to hate himself, it was painful. She never wanted to go trough something like that again.

"In the end the Headmaster and the teachers had to intervene. They told everyone that the rumors were false, and that anyone caught "spreading lies" would be punished. Eventually, the rumors died down until the point that now almost no one even remembers them. But I do. And he does."

Gray nodded. Silence fell over them again, but Gray couldn't fight off the questions that ran around his head. He took a deep breath and looked at Erza.

"So, just what-?"

"He is a pureblood. He is not, in any way, connected to the one Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.", Erza answered, putting a stray strain of hair behind her ear. "Headmaster Makarov told him everything he knew about his parents. Jellal looked so relieved after hearing the story." She looked over to Gray and smiled an apologetic smile. "I can't tell you more than this. I've already told you too much. Promise me you won't tell about this to anyone."

"Of course. You have my word.", Gray promised, and Erza sent him a grateful smile. Soon enough, the common room started getting filled by students who had just returned from the library or the outside, and after Gray and Natsu started another brawl, Erza excused herself and went to her room.

When she got there, Erza put her bag and books away and lay on the bed. She closed her eyes, and she returned to the time two years ago, when she thought her friend was finally released from his demons.

…

"Jellal, you know what they're saying isn't true, stop doing this to yourself!"

"How can you be so sure, Erza? How? I'm in _Slytherin_ , anyway, who knows what I am actually capable of!"

"You're not bad, Jellal, you have to stop-"

"What your friend is saying is correct."

Behind the two arguing teenagers suddenly appeared a very short, old man with a long mustache and strange robes.

"Headmaster!", Erza said, but Jellal made no sound as he continued to stare into the ground. The old man eyed him for a while, before he turned around and simply said, "Come." The two teenagers didn't move an inch, confused.

"Come on now, hurry up.", the Headmaster repeated, and this time, Erza meekly asked, "Both of us?"

The Headmaster nodded, saying, "He could use a friend's support. It's always easier when we're not alone."

Erza was encouraged by these words, so she took a hold of Jellal's hand, pulling the boy along. "Let's go."

When they arrived at the office, the Headmaster offered them some candy and tea, which they both politely accepted. Jellal was visibly nervous, but Erza smiled at him and reassured him that everything would be okay. Jellal nodded, and weakly smiled back. It was enough for Erza.

"You are undoubtedly, a pureblood.", Makarov said all of a sudden, and Erza was stunned, although not as much as Jellal, who probably wanted to escape right away. However, Erza felt that there was something important that the old man had to say, so she squeezed Jellal's arm and sent him a look that said that she was there with him, and that he shouldn't be afraid. Jellal gave in.

"You bear the mark of one of the oldest and noblest pureblood families that ever existed. I knew from the moment I saw you that you were their descendant.", he said, and Jellal shifted awkwardly in his seat. "However, it is also important for you to know that you are the last one of that line.", Makarov said, and both Erza and Jellal were very surprised. "As you don't bear their name, though, technically, that family had already died out. Should you ever decide to reclaim your rightful name, though, know that you will have my full support."

Jellal nodded, but seemed as though he wanted to say something. In the end, he gathered his courage.

"I-I don't mean to sound rude, sir, b-but I am not really interested in that.", he said, and slowly raised his head, to look at Makarov. The old man was looking at him with a small, but still visible smirk.

"What do you want to know, then?"

Jellal gulped.

"Tell me about my parents."

Makarov closed his eyes and nodded. Erza smiled at Jellal.

"Your parents were both the only children of high-class, traditional pureblood families.", Makarov started telling, and Jellal knew that the term "traditional" didn't mean anything good, but he stayed quiet. "A marriage was arranged between them. Your mother didn't want to be married in this way, but her protests were ignored. Eventually, they got married, and the two families were expecting to be provided with a grandchild that would continue the noble bloodline soon."

"Both your paternal and maternal grandparents believed in the pureblood supremacy, but your mother was extremely opposed to it.", Makarov said and sent a significant look to Jellal, who was obviously very happy to hear this. "The main conflicts between your mother and father arose from this. However, soon enough, your mother found out that your father was not such a bad man after all, and he started changing his views on blood status very quickly. They became very close. They fell in love."

"Their families didn't care much for that, though. They were in a hurry to get a grandchild and were dissatisfied with the fact that so much time had already been wasted. Some time later, they would finally get the news they wanted – however, the happenings around that time would become awful.", he said, and Erza and Jellal knew what he was talking about.

"The war.", Erza whispered, and Makarov solemnly nodded.

"Your mother was crushed. To get such beautiful news at such a bleak time… They were in a very delicate situation, too – their families were the silent supporters of the pureblood supremacy, but they were against it. They couldn't join either side, so they decided to go into hiding, like many families of that time. They supported the ones who fought the best they could, but they stayed out of the front lines. One day, though, the enemies found them somehow. Your father decided to fight and let your mother escape. He died while doing that."

Erza started sniffling silently while Jellal kept his eyes fixed on the floor, and his fists clenched by his side. Makarov continued.

"The pain your mother felt must have been horrible. Her husband, whom she loved dearly had just died, and she was left to protect the child she was carrying. But she refused to go to either hers or her husband's parents. She knew they'd try to raise you the way they raised them, and she didn't want that. So she disappeared, and for the next few months, no one knew her whereabouts."

"When she was finally found, she was alone, without a baby. She said she'd had a miscarriage. Your paternal grandmother, the only one who'd survived the war up until then was devastated with the news, and soon, her health worsened and she died as well. All alone, your mother joined the fight. She was emotionally drained, physically weakened, but she still fought. Sometimes they'd find her staring at some pictures which she always hid and which were eventually lost, after…"

"…After she had died.", Jellal finished. Makarov nodded, and a silence fell over the three. Jellal was lost in his thoughts, sorting out all of the information he'd just received, while Erza was recovering from crying (it was one of the very rare times she'd let herself cry). After a long time, Jellal got up, and looked at Makarov.

"Thank you.", he said honestly, and the old man smiled and waved him off.

"It was nothing, it was nothing. I couldn't let one of my students suffer like that, right? Now go, go, and play around in the garden or something. Come on!", he said, and Erza and Jellal exited the office while wishing him a good day.

While they were walking around the halls, Erza smiled at Jellal. He tried to keep a serious face, but a small smirk still broke out.

"What?", he asked, although he knew the answer.

"I was right.", Erza said simply, and Jellal laughed, before he turned around and looked at her with eyes full with gratitude, which made Erza blush.

"You always are.", he said gently. "Thank you." Erza smiled, and hid her burning face behind the red curtain of her hair, and mumbled out a _"You're welcome."_ They left the castle and went to the garden, where they spent the whole afternoon talking.

…

Erza woke up. She rubbed her eyes and clumsily got up. The dream of the past woke up nostalgic feelings within her. She had thought that, after that time, Jellal had finally won against his demons and they could be close again like they had been in the past. She was wrong – Jellal was still troubled by other things that hindered their relationship. But Erza had no intention of giving up. She was going to return their relationship to how it was, for sure.

"… _Or maybe even…"_ , Erza thought, and a healthy red color splashed her cheeks. She smiled, putting her hair behind her ear, and exited her room to meet up with her friends.


End file.
